Moved by Councillor Worling, seconded by
Councillor Thompson –
It is resolved that:
(A)
Council note:
(i)
the NSW
Government released the Drug Summit 2024 Co-Chair Report in October
2025, acknowledging the significant impact of drug use on individuals,
families, and communities;
(ii)
of the
56 recommendations outlined in the Report,
Recommendation 12.10, which relates to ending the use of sniffer dogs and strip
searching for suspected drug possession during the current trial of
drug-checking services, was entirely unsupported by the NSW Government in their
formal response to the summit recommendations; and
(iii)
several
recommendations, including those relating to integrated health services, mental
health, custodial drug programs, increased funding for treatment and
prevention, Aboriginal-led initiatives, and reforms to diversion programs, were
only supported in principle. Others, such as expanding medically supervised
injecting centres and youth diversion programs, were merely noted, while
legislation for medical cannabis driving defence requires further consideration;
(B)
Council
further note that:
(i)
while the NSW Government’s commitment to reducing
drug-related harm is commendable, further reforms are needed to protect the
dignity and integrity of all individuals;
(ii)
the
current 12-month trial of drug checking services is limited to a maximum of 12
selected music festivals, excluding other major events, such as the Sydney Gay
and Lesbian Mardi Gras; one of Australasia’s largest
LGBTQIA+ events.
(iii)
pill testing saves lives: studies show 10 to 20% of
people discard drugs after testing reveals harmful substances;
(iv)
the use of sniffer dogs at
music festivals and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras undermines safety and
generates mistrust within an already marginalised
community, while failing to prevent health risks; and
(v)
drug detection dogs have a
poor success rate: Data from 2013 to mid-2023, of 94,000 interactions between
event goers and sniffer dogs nearly 71,000 found no drugs on the person searched;
(C)
the Lord Mayor be requested
to write to:
(i)
the NSW Minister for Police
and Counter-terrorism and the Minister for Health
requesting the removal of sniffer dogs and strip searches at all music
festivals and at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, based on evidence that
shows their ineffectiveness and the loss of personal dignity;
(ii)
the NSW Minister of Health
urging the expansion of the pill testing trials to include the Sydney Gay and
Lesbian Mardi Gras, as part of a community health and harm-reduction strategy;
and
(iii)
the NSW Premier advocating
for urgent action on the recommendations marked as noted, for further
consideration, and not supported in the Drug Summit 2024 Co-Chair Report, in particular
Recommendation 12.10; and
(D)
the Chief Executive Officer be requested to liaise
with relevant organisations such as ACON and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
about opportunities for the City of Sydney to support harm reduction
initiatives by appropriate organisations with suitable expertise and
experience, at major events in our area.
Carried unanimously.
X113756